Vascular surgeons at National Medical Research Center for High Medical Technologies A.A. Vishnevsky Central Military Clinical Hospital, a Federal State Budgetary Institution of the Russian Ministry of Defense, for the first time used the Neovasculgen gene therapy drug to treat patients with injuries to major vessels of the extremities.
The study's results were published in the Hospital Medicine: Science and Practice journal under the title: Instrumental Verification of the Results of Genetic Engineering Treatments of the Consequences of Combat Wounds of the Main Vessels of the Extremities.
A total of 24 patients with major vessel injuries participated in the Vishnevsky Hospital study, which focused on instrumental confirmation of clinical outcomes and restoration of tissue and main blood flow.
The authors note: "In a significant share of patients with arterial injuries, restoration of blood flow fails for a number of reasons, and even if the limb is preserved, chronic ischemia may develop, as seen in vascular obliterating disease." This challenge motivated the use of Neovasculgen, the first gene therapy drug worldwide registered for treating peripheral arterial disease caused by atherosclerosis. The drug has established a new medical field, the therapeutic angiogenesis (the therapeutic growth of blood vessels). Neovasculgen is used in practical healthcare for treating lower extremity ischemia. It is included in the list of vital and essential drugs, national guidelines, federal clinical statistical groups, and the Moscow Compulsory Medical Insurance Program.
The study concluded that the clinical effect of Neovasculgen in treating arterial injuries can be confirmed using modern methods for assessing tissue and main blood flow. "The agreement between instrumental and clinical data appears quite convincing. Continued research is required to provide evidence-based verification of genetically engineered therapy for post-traumatic ischemia," notes the article published based on the study's findings.
NextGen Director Sergey Dale commented: "The successful treatment of patients with major vessel injuries suggests potential applications of Neovasculgen beyond military medicine, including general traumatology. Similar injury patterns are seen in part of car accident patients. We plan to continue research in this area."
The drug developer, NextGen (part of Artgen Biotech Group), is currently expanding indications for Neovasculgen. Its key mechanism, activation of microvascular growth, offers potential for treating a number of conditions requiring increased vascular density, including diabetic foot syndrome, interstitial cystitis, and androgenetic alopecia.
NextGen, JSC, is a Medtech resident and a resident of the Lomonosov cluster at the Vorobyovy Gory Innovative Scientific and Technological Center of Moscow State University. The company focuses on the development and implementation of gene therapy drugs.